Molybdenum Roasting

Molybdenite Roasting with Sulfuric Acid Plant VS Looping Sulfide Oxidation (LSO) with Sulfuric Acid Plant

  • Engineering Design
  • Construction
  • Training & Start-up
  • Capital Cost Studies
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Operations & Maintenance
  • Peer Reviews
  • Modernization
  • Capacity Expansion
  • Patents and Papers

MoS2 Roasting Experience

  • Fort Madison, IO, USA
  • Sierrita, AR. USA
  • Langeloth, PA. USA
  • Washington, PA. USA
  • Winslow, NJ, USA
  • Eureka, Nevada, USA
  • Rotterdam, Netherlands
  • Trollhaettan, Sweden
  • Le Giffre, France
  • Spigno Montferrato, Italy

MoS2 Roasting Experience

  • Mejillones, Chile
  • Chuquicamata, Chile
  • Huaxian, Shaanxi, China
  • Louyang, Henan, China
  • Yeosu, South Korea
  • Sorsk, Russia
  • Chelyabinsk, Russia
  • Yerevan, Armenia
  • Stowmarket, UK
  • Goslar, Germany

Current Multiple Hearth Roasting

Conventional

 

Molybdenite MHR – Advantages

  • Multiple Hearth Roasters are available reliable furnaces.
  • Roasting reactions are slowed allowing for furnace temperature control.
  • SO2 off-gas can be fed to recovery processes which also produce a salable by-product. (Sulfuric Acid)
  • Existing equipment is utilized with non-exotic materials of construction.

Molybdenite MHR – Disadvantages

  • Significant energy recovery is not possible.
  • Reactions are slow and inefficient requiring large surface area roasting equipment size.
  • Operating Labor and Operating conditions are less than ideal. (Cleaning of Arms, Teeth, Dropholes, Off-Gas Ductwork, etc.)
  • Low concentration SO2 off-gas can be fed to the acid plant but generally need additional fuel or SOx for acid conversion.
  • Low SO2 levels require large gas cleaning and acid plant volume capacities.

LSO Looping Sulfide Oxidation Development

Mo Looping Sulfide Oxidation – Patent

Patent

 

LSO Pilot Plant Tests

Lso

 

Molybdenite LSO Continuous Process Reactor Systems

Looping Sulfide Oxidation – LSO

  • The two-step “looping oxidation” process effectively removes sulfur while producing products of excellent purity in an energy generating and environmentally friendly manner.
    Reactor 1:   MoS2 + 6 MoO3 → 7MoO2 + 2SO2
    Reactor 2:  MoO2 + Air → MoO3
  • OMT’s new patent greatly increases the energy generation potential of LSO.

Molybdenite LSO

Lso

Molybdenite LSO – Advantages

  • Significant energy generation is economically attractive.
  • Rich SO2 off-gas can be fed to efficient ancillary recovery processes which also produce energy.
  • Reactions are fast and efficient allowing for reduced equipment size.
  • Maintenance costs reduced and Operating Labor and Operating conditions are greatly improved.
  • Commercially available equipment is utilized with non-exotic materials of construction.
  • Efficient rhenium recovery is also possible.
  • Both LSO reactors operate in an exothermic manner allowing for stable rapid reaction kinetics.
  • SOx strength will exceed levels achievable by any other process. This will allow for smaller acid plant equipment or greatly increased efficiency of an existing acid plant.
  • MoO2 can be produced which is a better product for alloy steel applications. MoO2 has a higher Mo content and is more stable in alloying practice improving recovery of Mo into the alloy steel.
  • High solubility MoO3 and/or MoO2 can be produced in any desired ratio.

High Energy Looping Sulfide Oxidation

Molybdenite LSO Facility

Molybdenite

NEXT – LSO Pyrometallurgy

  • The ‘Looping Process’ can be utilized to generate energy and treat other large volume primary metals.
  • To date positive results have also been demonstrated with:
  • Mo, Co, Cu, Fe, CuFe – Sulfides
  • Evaluations continuing with:
  • Ni, Zn, Sn, Pb
  • Energy generation from the Acid Plant is also large and quantified.
  • SO2 condensation and recovery is also a viable SOx recovery method.